


Soul Storm

by Koyote19



Category: The Crow: Stairway To Heaven
Genre: Challenge_duck, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 21:25:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2443694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Koyote19/pseuds/Koyote19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes doing the right thing hurts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Soul Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t know if this really needs a spoiler warning, since this episode first aired in 1998. But it takes place immediately after the episode “Bring Me Death” (the first appearance of the Skull Cowboy) and contains references to a character's death in that episode. And the Angst Fairy can stop beating me about the head and shoulders any time now. Really.
> 
> This was written for a challenge back in 2004.

The gray rain streaking the arched window drowned the lights of the city. He didn’t need to see them to know they were there; didn’t care to see them even in memory. One hand flat to the few remaining fragments of cold glass, he stared blindly out at the darkness.

“Draven?” He heard the sympathy in the smooth voice… and chose to ignore it as well. All that mattered was the water racing in frantic streams down the streaked remnants of glass, and blowing in through the shattered hole in the center.

“Don’t bother,” Sarah grumbled behind him. “He’s been like that since the rain started.”

“Has he said a word?”

“Not since I got here. Three hours ago.” Her young voice was full of indignation, and he felt a pang of guilt for ignoring her. He hadn’t realized she’d been there quite so long.

“Great.” He heard rustling behind him…but didn’t bother to turn. “Sarah. Here’s a twenty. Why don’t you go downstairs and order a pizza, okay?”

“Why can’t I just use your phone and call from here?”

“Because I need to talk to Eric. Alone.”

“Fine. Whatever.” The petulant tone turned to resigned annoyance as she grabbed the battered skateboard from the steps behind him. “But don’t say I didn’t warn ya if he doesn’t talk back.”

There was silence for several minutes after the door slammed shut behind her. He tried to block out the older man’s presence, concentrating instead on the icy water drenching his clothes.

“Draven…”

He didn’t answer. Why didn’t they just leave him alone with his misery and broken dreams? Couldn’t they see that friends had suddenly become more of a liability than he could stand?

“Eric…?” Instead of giving up at his continued silence, Albrecht climbed the steps to his side and stared out at the torrent drowning the city. “I guess it’s really gone, then? The Portal?”

“Yeah,” He answered harshly, closing his eyes against the raw pain.

There is a long moment of silence as both men stand in the blowing rain, before Albrecht breaks the silence again.

“Then I guess I owe you a hell of a lot more than just a ‘thank-you’.” There is genuine pain in the other man’s voice, and Eric turns his head to look at his companion for the first time. Albrecht seems suddenly frail, bruises still visible against dark skin and one arm still in a sling. “I’m sorry. I… know how much you wanted to be with Shelly again. How much you wanted this chance to finally rest.”

“In Peace?” The bitterness welled up again. “Yeah, well… apparently that is just not meant to be.”

“You earned the right to pass through,” Albrecht sighed. “The Portal will open again.”

“No. It won’t.” Eric turned back to the rain, wishing it would wash the pain and heartache away. The sadness, that only intensified the longer he spent back in this place. “The Skull Cowboy warned me that this was my one shot to go back…to be with her. I let it go.”

“To save your friends.”

“To save my friends.” This time even he could hear the bitterness poisoning his voice. “But I didn’t, did I? India is dead.”

“India is dead… but Sarah is not. Shea is not. And I am not.” Albrecht’s voice echoed the bitterness. “Surely that fact has to weigh on some cosmic scale out there in your favor. Whatever…whoever this Skull Cowboy is… could not be so grossly unfair as to punish you for doing that.”

“No?” Eric spit the words out into the darkness. “But I was warned not to act. Warned about the chance of setting another Snake loose. And the Portal is gone, I’m still here, and Shelly is still dead, lost on the other side of a window that no longer opens. I can’t even feel her, Albrecht. Don’t talk to me about fair.” His voice cracked. “I can’t… feel her anymore.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I.” He closed his eyes again, trying to lose himself in the cold rain. “Go home, Albrecht. You still have someone to hold. Go home. Leave me the hell alone.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You expect me to just leave you like this? I thought we were friends.” There was no hiding the flinch at that. The detective’s eyes narrowed. “And that’s the problem, isn’t it? You have friends… and friends mean ties to this place.”

“I don’t need friends.” Eric wrenched away again. “Just go away, Albrecht. The only person I need is Shelly.”

“I see.” Albrecht backed up a step. “And you’re gonna tell that to Sarah when she gets worried about you and comes back up here?”

“I…”

“So…that’s it, huh? You’re just gonna give up? Just like that?” Albrecht grabbed his shoulder with his good hand, dragging him around to face him. “You’re still here, you’re still…whatever the hell you are. Hiding away in your precious loft isn’t going to bring that portal back, Eric. So you might as well rejoin the human race while you’re here.”

“And get someone else killed next time? India died because of me. Shelly is dead… Shea nearly died. You nearly died. Because of me. Not again.”

“And because you gave up the one thing in this world that mattered to you… most of us are still alive.” Albrecht shook his head and tightened his fingers on Eric’s shoulder. “You’re stuck here a little longer… so be it. I’d change that if I could. But I can’t. So don’t shut us out for giving a damn about you.” He shook Eric, then let go. “I know you’re hurting. And I can understand wanting to be alone. But you can’t shut us out forever. Hell…you probably won’t even manage to shut Sarah out for the night. Don’t let everything you gave up for us be for nothing.”

Eric blinked at him, a little startled by the intensity of the other man’s words. He hadn’t expected their friendship to mean so much to the detective. Lost in his own thoughts, he barely noticed Albrecht turning away and stalking towards the door. It was only when the man had bent to pick up his soaked overcoat that Eric remembered how to speak.

“Albrecht…” The man straightened, turning to look at him over one shoulder. “You’re welcome. And- it wasn’t for nothing.”

Albrecht stared at him for a long moment, then nodded.

Alone again, in the loft that felt increasingly empty now that his last contact with Shelly was gone, Eric turned back to the window. The rain was easing, and so was the pain. By dawn, the storm had passed, leaving him sitting in the window staring out at the sunrise he’d never expected, or wanted to see. But it was there, and he was still there to see it.

Outside the window, the crow paced the length of the windowsill before launching into flight above the city.


End file.
